Mustang's world
by BlueIsTheColourOfOurPlanet
Summary: Stupid title, but well... Bang. Bang. Edward tried to finish his sentence but couldn't. Hot white pain shot through his body. He dropped to his knees, his dazed eyes followed the light of Mustangs fire like moths as it raised into the sky, aimed at a spot on a rooftop. How could this happen? And much more important: why? (No deathfic, Ed will live. Someone made sure of that)
1. Chapter 1

**OMG I finally found the apostrophe on my keyboard XD To celebrate that I defeated my ignorance I just tried another little story. Have fun **

Chapter1

"Okay, this is the last time I did this again. If you don't like it now, then do it yourself. I'll head home, it's been dark outside for an hour by now!", Edward growled, and slammed his rewritten report on Mustang's desk. The Colonel ignored him until he had finished reading the paper he was currently occupied with, then picked up Edward's work and skimmed it with an critical eye.

"All right, I think you finally got it right." He put the report aside and to Ed's surprise rose from his seat and went to grab his coat. The Boy stared at him.

"Wait, you didn't make me stay and do this because you were forced to stay yourself and wanted company in your misery?", he asked, staring at the man who usually tried to escape his paperwork in every way possible.

"No, I just came to the conclusion that teaching you how to do this right until you finally, _finally_ got it and sacrifice a whole evening for that once, is better than to stay half an hour more to edit your crap every single time you get back here. In the long run that is much less time I need to waste.", the Colonel replied easily.

"As if _you_ were the one to do that work. I bet you shove it on Hawkeye or the others.", Ed snapped.

"If you think I do this then why aren't you happy that now some good men, and a good women, have less work because I had to sit here the whole evening?", Mustang asked with an annoyed expression. "Grumpy dwarf."

"I'm not grumpy and more important: I AM NO DWARF!"

"Sure, keep telling that yourself."

"AARRGGH YOU..."

Edward's temper was somewhat cooled down when they stepped out of HQ and were immediately hit by a really cold wind.

"Damn winter." He managed around his chattering teeth and pulled his red coat closer around himself.

"How about that: You promise me to bring a proper report on the first try next time and I'll give you a ride to the hotel?"

Ed looked at Mustang with a thoughtful frown. What was worse? The cold and long way through the night or writing a proper report and maybe listen to some short jokes during the car ride? Another icy breeze decided it for him.

"Fine, report for car ride.", he grumbled.

They entered Mustangs car. The Colonel pulled three letters from his inner coat pocket and placed them on the dashboard. The one at the bottom of the small stak was already sliced open, the other two were still firmly sealed.

"We'll have to do a short detour, I'm afraid. Breda didn't came into work today, but he needs one of these letters as fast as possible. It shouldn't take more than a few minutes, though."

"Fine by me.", Ed said and slouched in the passengerseat. Mustang nodded and started the engine. Edward was grateful that the Colonel chose to concentrate on the road instead of pick up a conversation. They drove through the silent and vacated streets, the headlights illuminated a way Edward knew well. He let out an involuntary and pissed off : "Hmpf."

"Something wrong?", Mustang asked him and arched an eyebrow.

"If we follow this street further and then take a turn right we'll end up at the hospital. I hate that place."

"Who doesn't?", Mustang grumbled, for once he shared Edward's opinion.

"The docs that work there and the people whose life they save, probably."

"Most likely." It looked like Mustang was about to say something else when the engine stuttered in a way even Edward knew it shouldn't. "What's that supposed to mean?", Mustang asked, curious and annoyed.

"How should I know?" Edward asked angrily. He would turn this car into an unrecognisable piece of metal if it broke down now and deprived him of his warm way back to the hotel.

As on cue the engine died. "Ow great!", he growled.

"At least we're not even five houses away from Breda's.", Mustang said, though he didn't sound like this brightened his mood in the slightest, and turned the wheel so the dead car rolled to the side of the road and didn't stop in the middle. "We can borrow his phone and call for an engineer."

The car stopped. Edward was about to give another angry remark when smoke started to rise from under the hood. "Okay, we should probably get out really fast." he said instead of the planned curses.

"Yes.", Mustang said. He pulled the key out and exited the car to join Edward on the side walk.

"I really hate this-"

_Bang. Bang._

Edward tried to finish his sentence but couldn't. Hot white pain shot through his body. He dropped to his knees, his dazed eyes followed the light of Mustangs fire like moths as it raised into the sky, aimed at a spot on a rooftop. Two more shots rang out in the same second as the fire darted trough the air, then the flames engulfed their target. He could hear a man scream before the fire burned him to ashes. It was so bright, almost white from the sheer heat. A big dot remained in his vision when it finally died. Then Mustang was beside him, helping him to lay down in a more comfortable position.

"Let me see!", he demanded. Ed removed his hands from his bleeding shoulder and the left side of his stomach. Mustang took it all in, with this calmness only a battle hardened soldier or a doctor owned, and then put one of his hands at each wound. "That might hurt but I need to apply pressure."

Ed simply nodded.

"Colonel?! I heard the shots and- oh shit!" Breda, dressed in a pyjama with a coat thrown over, stopped and stared for a moment to understand the situation.

"Go get an ambulance!", Mustang barked, snapping him out of it.

"Yes, sir!" Breda went running.

"Don't worry, this will be all right in a while.", Mustang said, sounding so sure, Ed didn't find a single cell in his body that didn't trust his judgement. He dimly noticed when the ambulance, a fire truck, the police, and what ever else they thought was needed, arrived. The many blinking lights illuminated the street in a really cool way, he thought before they closed the ambulance's doors. He realised Mustang had climbed in with him and suddenly he remembered that there were more gunshots than those that hit him. He tried to make out whether Mustang was hurt. There was indeed blood at Mustangs arm that didn't look like it was from Ed.

"He only grazed me, barely a flesh wound. You're the one to worry about.", the Colonel said as he noticed Edwar stare. "But don't worry. I'm sure everything can be fixed again" He reached out and put some stray strands of blond hair back in their place. There was an honest smile on his face.


	2. Chapter 2

**I'm no expert on bulletwounds or automail and I don't know whether Breda really lives near the hospital, but I've got to make this story work ;-)**

Chapter 2

Edward woke and immediately scowled at the white ceiling. He hated hospitals and he didn't need more than that white ceiling and the smell in the air to realise that he was stuck in one. He sighed in frustration.

"Brother!"

He grinned happily as the tall suit of armour leaned into his vision. "Hey Al, What's up?"

"You've been shot!" Al exclaimed, like Ed was an idiot.

"I know that.", Ed alleged, as he tried to sit up. He failed miserably and slumped back on the mattress.

"Don't move!", scolded Al and put his hands on Ed's shoulders to make sure he wouldn't try again.

"Yeah, yeah.", grumbled Ed and after a while took the water Al handed him. "So what's damaged?"

"There was one Bullet in your right shoulder and one in your left side. They didn't cause any irreparable damage but you'll be off duty for at least a month."

"What?! I'm supposed to waste a whole month? Ow _great_!", Ed groaned.

"Actually it _is _great.", Al said in a sad voice.

"Huh, why?", his brother asked confused.

"You know about the riots in the West?"

"Yes..."

"Well they developed in full fledged civil war quite a while ago. The military kept it under wraps until now. They decided that they would send in some more troops, though." Even though Al had an unmoving metal face he managed to look sad when he said: "Colonel Mustang's whole team was sent to go there. Including you. The day you've been shot at was the day when the letters went out."

Ed stared at him. He remembered the letters on the dashboard of Mustangs car. The open one was Mustang's, the other two for Breda and him. For him. A letter that told him to go to war. He swallowed. "So that madman who shot at me saved me from war?", he asked, incredulous and confused.

"Basically yes, but only because he didn't manage to kill you.", Al answered.

"I can't believe it, for once I was lucky.", Ed managed to say through his confusion. "How long was I out of it?"

"You've been shot on Monday evening, now it is Wednesday evening. The team left this morning."

"The Colonel, too?"

"Yes, he only had two ugly scratches from the bullets, because the sniper had a bad aim already, and with fire coming his way...well, they stitched the Colonel up and sent him out." Al shrugged helplessly.

Ed nodded once, grim. "Do they know why this sniper tried to kill us, or who he was?"

"They wouldn't tell me, but I guess they'll send someone to question you later and then you can ask. You should rest until then.", the worried brother suggested.

Ed sighed. "I guess, I should."

He tried to relax and close his eyes. It didn't work.

* * *

Some time later an officer from Investigation entered the room. He introduced himself as Lieutenant Pfanne and asked Ed what he remembered of the incident.

"The Colonel offered me a ride home, because he kept me in late for paperwork. He said we'd need to stop at the house of Second Lieutenant Breda though because he needed to pass on a letter. I had no idea what letter, but it didn't matter, I was glad for the ride. In the Lieutenants street the car started to sputter, and then the engine died. There was smoke rising from the hood so we decided to leave it. When we got out I heard the shots and the next second I felt them. The Colonel spotted the sniper when the guy tried to aim for him and send some flames after him. I heard the guy scream, that's why I think he was male. Next thing Lieutenant Breda came running because he heard the shots and the Colonel told him to call for an ambulance. The end. Now tell me what you know about the whole thing!"

The Lieutenant raised an eyebrow because of Ed's behaviour but decided not to act on it.

"Well, judging from what remained from his body, the sniper was indeed male and around thirty years old. But he was burned to bad to allow any further identification. The Colonel send a full blast on him because he was in to much of a hurry and to unsure of the exact position to try a more calculated shot. The ammunition used on you, though was clearly identified as the type of bullets the rebels in the West use. Furthermore the Colonel's car had been manipulated to blow up. Since the sniper was obviously not very good at his job, and/or insufficient equipped, we think that he was only there to observe, and tried to shoot the both of you out of desperation when the bomb didn't work out as it should. A similar bomb was found in Major Armstrong's car when we checked all the vehicles immediately after. That leads us to the conclusion that the rebels tried to get rid off our most famous combat alchemists so we couldn't send them out there to end the uprisings. Luckily for us it didn't work out.", The Lieutenant grinned happily.

The brothers stared at him for a while as they processed the whole thing.

"So, will they turn those riots into another Ishbal?", Ed finally asked with a frown.

The Lieutenants behaviour changed immediately. "No.", he said with a grim expression. "This rebellion is much smaller, and we hope that we will be able to keep it like that or end it fast. That's why we send the alchemists in this early. Maybe the rebels will stop it when they see the likes of Mustang. I mean if we, the _winner_, areafraid of another Ishbal, then what do these rebels feel when they're faced with the ones who can raise hell on earth?"

"Good point. Hopefully they'll give up.", Ed stated after a while, equally grim.

They sat there in silence for a while, then the Lieutenant pulled out a folder and asked Ed to fill the files, before leaving.

* * *

The bullet that had embedded itself in Edwards right shoulder had gone right between the Automailport and Ed's flesh. This caused the Automail to malfunction, because some nerves were separated from the machine. Ed didn't trust the central engineers enough to fix it, and they didn't really want to try and tinker with Winry's construction because every engineer worked some personal touch in his machine and nobody wanted to mess with the other ones in case they didn't get something right.

Out of fear of her wrenches Edward refused to call Winry until his last day of the month off. Winry yelled at him on the telephone, loud enough that one of the nurses grabbed the phone from Ed and yelled at Winry to pipe down because she disturbed the other people. Finally Winry settled for a more civil tone.

"So, uh, when can you fix it?", Ed finally dared to ask.

"I guess I can come over in three weeks.", she said.

"What? Three weeks?"

"I got a call two days ago. They put up an emergency station for automail in the west and asked the automailengineers they think are best to help out there. Fix the automail of soldiers and give new ones to those who lose some limbs in the battle. I'm going to work there."

"Are you crazy? Don't go there, it's a rebellion, it's _war_!"

"I know Ed, but I feel I should help. And the station isn't near enough to the battle to be attacked, and it's well protected because they bring their other machines and vehicles over there to fix them, too. Nothing will happen to me. I will just help out for three weeks, then I'll be back. Trust me."

"But-"

"Ed I've got a reason for it, just trust me, okay?"

There was something in her voice that told him that there was something more, and she knew exactly what, but couldn't tell. He frowned.

"All right, I'll trust you. I'll trust you to explain this to me, when we meet."

She chuckled a little. "I will, don't worry. See you in three weeks!"

"All right, See you!"

He hung up and went to find Alphonse, who talked to an exited little girl in the waiting room.

Edward had been out of the hospital for a while now, but today had been the day of his last check up.

They walked to their hotel. Edward had been declared fit for duty again. And he didn't like it, because the moment the higher ups would realised this he would be send out to help fight the rebels. Even with the short hold up his automail problem provided, he'd sooner or later be shipped off to the west. To fight in that war they still called rebellion. Sure it wasn't as big and bad as Ishbal, but that was because the alchemists were used to hold it down.

It seemed like Lieutenant Pfanne was wrong with his theory that the rebels feared the state alchemists enough to give up. They kept fighting like fanatics. Even though their forces were weakened so much, they were said to go down within the next three weeks-...HOLD ON!

Alphonse bumped into him and nearly knocked him over when Edward stopped in the middle of walking, staring into nothing, realisation written all over his face.

"Edward, what are you doing?", Al asked in panic.

"I can't believe it. Either this is a giant coincidence and I'm going crazy with conspiracy theories or someone set up a giant play and we are the puppets on strings!


	3. Chapter 3

**This whole thing is highly unlikely to happen but I just watched the fma episode in which Ed and Al arrive at the train station after they defeated Bald and Ed confronts Mustang for the first time. This story here is set in brotherhood but I just love that smirk and that sentence. You will now which one at the end.**

Chapter 3

Two and a half weeks later Edward regarded the newspaper that declared the western rebellion as over. He couldn't believe as he read the number of death on the rebel's side. It was high, but not nearly as high as he had thought it would be. Frowning he went to leave the hotel.

He wandered through HQ, listening to the officers, catching the rumours and grinned. It seemed that one Colonel Roy Mustang did indeed manage to frighten the rebels into submission. There were stories of him walking through the district he was assigned to, with nothing but his trusted ones as backup, and set everything on fire that was no living being. When he was attacked he would answer of course, but he wouldn't use a deathly strike until he absolutely had to. Finally his district was nothing more than a gigantic burned down field. And that was when he turned to the rebels and asked them to give up, telling them that there was nothing left to burn but _them_ if they kept on provoking the military. And he _would_ burn them if they attacked.

His district was peaceful from then on and he allowed them to build up new homes, under strict supervision of the military of course, but still. He even provided food if there wasn't enough and the doctors of his platoon were allowed to look after every rebel kid under fifteen. The older ones he couldn't risk because his superiors would charge him for helping the rebels to rebuild their forces. Some rebels actually came to more or less like Mustang. Edward snorted in disbelieve when one soldier told another that the rebels wanted to give the Colonel the fifteen most beautiful women among them to marry, as a thank you, and that those women went depressive when he politely declined.

At this point Edward started fishing for information only around the higher ranking officers who were more serious, and had lesser tendencies to decorate the stories with nonsense to make them even more interesting gossip.

The Newspaper had announced that the heroic soldiers of the Amestrian Military would be back by tomorrow morning. Edward walked into the medical section of HQ, held back curiosity almost making him run. He had stopped himself to go and dig for the most important information he wanted, from the moment on when he had the idea on his way from the hospital. And two and a half weeks of not knowing whether he was part of a big plan of someone else was not something someone as inquisitive as Edward could stand easily. But Winry didn't tell him on the phone and he wasn't quite sure whether that was because she feared someone was listening in or because it wasn't safe for him to know, until it was all over. Either way now it was over and he needed to know before they were back. Before_ he _was back.

He sneaked into the morgue. There was the person he had searched for! Grinning he walked over, as quiet and careful as a ninja, and tapped Dr. Knox on the shoulder. To his disappointment the man didn't jump very much. He turned with an annoyed expression and a very large scalpel in his hand. Ed eyed the blade with a little fear and stepped back. No wonder Knox wasn't afraid of someone behind him, when he had that ugly instrument as his weapon.

"Guess you want to ask some questions about the burned sniper, huh?", Knox asked, still not really in the mood to talk.

"Yes, that burned _man_.", Ed nodded.

"He told me not to tell you, but then I would like some revenge because he dragged me into his mess _again_.", Knox said thoughtfully.

"So the sniper died just like Maria Ross did?", Edward asked ever so innocent.

Knox nodded. "He did."

"I'll kill him!", Edward growled.

"Please don't. I don't want him on my table, I'm sure he will be the corpse that every coroner fears: The one that opens its eyes and sits up." Knox joked dryly.

"Not if I was the one who killed him!", Ed claimed a he started to walk away.

"Just remember his motive, when you start tearing his throat out.", Knox remarked before he turned back to his work.

Edward stared at the ground as he walked back to his room. The motive. Yes, that was something Ed just couldn't figure out.

* * *

Ed and Al stood in front of the train station. First of all because they didn't want to squeeze themselves between all the other people who waited for someone's return and second because Edward wanted the ones they were waiting for to feel safe and then walk out and look caught when they saw an Edward Elric, waiting with dramatically crossed arms, and one finger tapping his upper arm impatiently. Al thought he had gone crazy but Ed didn't care.

They heard the train coming in, and watched the people walking out of the station with their returned soldier, until after a while _their_ soldiers walked out. They all looked pale, sleep deprived and worn out, but other than that they seemed all right and happy to be back. That was until they sighted the Elrics. Edward fixed his I-know-it-stare on Mustang, just in time to make the Colonel stop in slight surprise and then look caught. But not long enough for Ed to be able to really see it.

_Damn him for his ability too lock up his face that quick_, Edward thought.

At least his subordinates didn't do their job that well. They looked even more caught than a deer in the headlights of a car. Apart from Hawkeye of course. She waved a hand at the brothers while Havoc, Breda, Fury and Fallman murmured quick excuses and ran away. Mustang looked after them with an expression that said, that he was going to give his subordinates a not very nice piece of his mind for that, later. He then decided to show up his favourite smirk and proceeded to walk over to the Elrics.

"Did you boys miss us so much, that you came to collect us at the station?", he asked and lifted an eyebrow at Ed.

"Well, we figured your team deserved some credit for the mess you make them put up with. I really don't get why they ran away.", Edward answered grinning.

Mustang shook his head. "Me neither. Though there was a rumour out west, that dwarfism is contagious. So maybe that's why they decided to play safe and run away from you."

"WHO ARE YOU CALLING SO SHORT HE COULD TAKE PART IN A PLAY ABOUT SNOW WHITE AND BE A DWARF WHO'S SMALLER THAN HER EVEN IF SHE IS PLAYED BY A FIVE YEAR OLD?!"

"I would have imagined you as the main character in _Little Red Riding Hood_, but yes you could definitely do what you just said, too."

Edward tried to knock the Colonel over but Al caught him and held the shrieking Alchemist back while Mustang grinned and walked on to catch one of the cabs that were lined up in front of the station, sensing a safe chance at a customer. Hawkeye followed him with a weary sigh and a "See you boys at work on Monday!"

"Yeah work, he can't run away there!", Edward grinned in a sinister way and returned the Colonels mocking good by wave. "That manipulating, smug..."

"Maybe he just doesn't want to talk to us right now because he is tired? I mean he just came back from fighting a rebellion.", Alphonse tried to calm him as he put Ed back on the ground.

Edward had to admit that his brother could be right about that. Then he shrugged. "Well at least he now knows that I know and won't give up until he says it out loud!"

* * *

Edward slammed the door open and walked through an office, filled with four male subordinates who were hunched over their work in a way that indicated that their Colonel had lectured them quite well because they ran away the other day, and one female who tried not to look too content because she didn't have to run after her co-workers to make them do their work for once, and therefore could relax a little. The older Elric grinned happily at the scene, greeted them and then marched on towards the door that separated him from his actual target. For once he knocked, allowing the colonel to feel the wonderful feeling of asking his doom to come in.

He walked over to the chair in front of Mustangs desk, plopped down on it and studied the Colonel, who, just like the last time they had been together in this office, decided to finish the paper he was currently occupied with first before he looked up.

He still was paler than usual and had shadows underneath his eyes, that told stories of lost sleep. Though he had improved since their short meeting at the train station two days ago. Finally he looked up, interlaced his fingers and rested his head on them while he fixed Edward with a curious but serious gaze.

"You faked an assassination attempt to render me unable to go to war.", Edward stated.

Mustang arched an eyebrow. "And how would I do such an incredible thing?"

Edward knew the Colonel didn't question the truth of his statement. He was just curious about how much Edward figured it out.

"First, you kept me in the office late on purpose, so it didn't look too strange for you to offer me a ride, and the whole thing didn't have to happen in the bright light of day. You made Breda call in ill so he didn't get his letter and you had a reason to drive to his place which is near the hospital and therefore perfect to ensure that the ambulance would be with us as fast as possible. You had Hawkeye shoot at me because she is the best and we all trust her to always hit the mark. You had Havoc up there, too, to fake the scream so I didn't get suspicious too early and ruin everything with bad acting. You made a fake corpse so someone could be blamed and no one would suspect her. Knox hates you for that, by the way. To put the icing on the cake and explain why the faked man was such a bad sniper you made it look like he just shot at us because he was desperate, because his main plan didn't work. A main plan that consisted of a broken bomb in your car and a real bomb in Armstrong's car. Another broken one would be to much of a coincidence but Armstrong is trustworthy so you could warn him and put an active bomb in his car, with his consent. To deliver a motive for the whole thing you managed to get your hands on bullets made by western rebels and blamed it on those poor guys. When the rebellion wasn't completely over when I was back on my feet again, you used plan b, and called Winry to get her in that emergency camp for a while, so she couldn't fix my automail in time. And then all was over and I didn't have to set a foot in the war zone."

Mustang hadn't moved during his explanation and Edward started to feel like maybe he really was crazy to think of such things. But then, he had talked to Knox, right?

Finally the Colonel leaned back back with a smirk. "So you figured it all out. I'm impressed."

"Why?" Edward asked him. "Why did you go through all this trouble and instructed such a dangerous show, just so I wouldn't be shipped off west?"

The Colonel spun his chair around a little, turning it right, then left, then right again as he seemed to think about how to answer that question.

"You don't like me. Going to that war would have most likely turned you into something like me, though. So maybe I just didn't want you to completely hate yourself. You're already good enough at that, considering the way you look whenever Alphonse notices something he wants to do once he's got his body back." He fell silent. "Or maybe I'm just so arrogant, that I wanted to have a little fun and find out just how much I can fool people.", he decided to add after a second to take the edge of his confession. "Your choice."

Edward regarded the pale, smirking man thoughtfully. "You wanna hear my answer?"

The Colonel shrugged like he didn't care. "You wanna tell me?"

And now Ed was smirking, too. "I think it's a bit of both."

Mustang smirked a little wider, shrugged again and turned back to his paperwork. "That could be it.", he mused.

"Whatever. Just don't do it again, those shots hurt.", Ed grumbled as he stood.

"Don't worry. I won't and can't ask something like that from Hawkeye again. And Knox can't always list false corpses as real ones. And I can't get myself into to many conspiracies. So you'll have to watch out for yourself even more than usual, from now on. Because you might be important to us, but we do have limits.", Mustang explained, not looking up from his work and sounding almost sad.

"You wouldn't be human if you were limitless." Edward put his hand on the door handle, paused, looked over his shoulder and flashed the Colonel his biggest grin. "And I can very well look after myself. Especially in the rain, when you are useless!"

The door slammed shut and Fullmetal was out. The Flame sighed and shook his had. He would never be useless, not as long as he had enough strings to pull.

* * *

**The quote from the episode: **

**Roy: "Come on, you think I've got the whole world on strings?"**


End file.
